When to change to layer pellets & stuff?

[Momto3]

So my girls are 18wks. Just wondering when I should switch them to layer pellets. Is it ok to switch after you see the first egg? Or do you want to do it before? When do you start the oyster shell? I researched this all in the beginning, but it has been so long that my girls have been on "auto pilot" that I forgot. lol Thanks.

 

[Momto3]

Oh yah they are on chick crumbles. Is that what they say on till layer pellets?

 

[TMDee]

I have a mixture of ages at the moment - but was advised Chick crumbs up to about 6 weeks then move onto "Grower Pellets" until an egg comes....then use the "Layer Pellets"

Was a fair difference in size so i mixed through some chick crumb with growers for first few days and also had grit available

Hope that helps - I am a bit of a newbie!!



PS - maybe we have different names in UK....Chick crumbs are quite fine....is that the same for crumbles?

 

[Fred's Hens]

You can either feed a calcium fortified/enriched feed, such as a layer feed, or just feed Flock Raiser and offer the shells on the side. Since layer feed is fortified with lots of calcium, it usually suffices, especially if you feed back the egg shells, dried and crumbled. Mash, crumbles or pellets is just the side of the feed and is irrelevant. Chickens usually adapt easily to whatever "shape" their feed comes in. It's really your choice.

At 18 weeks, there would little harm in moving to layer, if you're at the end of your present feed bag.

Most commercial feed bags have this information printed right on the back of the bag, giving you the various options.

 

[Sheepy]

Keep on feeding them the chick food, until the day you see the egg. Than switch to the layer's crumble.

 

[nuts4hotwheels]

I fed chick crumble until 6 weeks old and flock raiser until they were laying and then switched to layer feed.

 

[fluffandpuffchicks]

I used chick crumbles for lik 8 weeks or so then grower then changed to layer crumbles (my hens lik the crumble for then pellets) when i saw the first egg

 

[Momto3]

Thanks everyone.

 

[BoltonChicken]

You can either feed a calcium fortified/enriched feed, such as a layer feed, or just feed Flock Raiser and offer the shells on the side.

+1. This is exactly right. I will switch to Flock Raiser at 18 weeks and furnish calcium on the side.​